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Teens Against Guns (T.A.G.) Program:

The Teens Against Guns Program was created by our Student Ambassador Board to address gun violence involving teens. Central to the program is the Teens Against Guns Pledge, which all of the students have taken and committed themselves to encouraging their friends and classmates to take and promote as well. To view and sign the pledge, please click here.

Dream, Plan and Achieve Program:

The Dream, Plan and Achieve Program is a 6-12 session program that is designed to teach youth how to dream big by creating a visual dream board of their life, a written plan identifying short and long term goals, and an assessment of the things in life which can destroy their dreams. The programs are: Confidence Building, Character Building, Dream Board Planning, Dream Board Building, Ladder of Success, Dream Assessment, Budgeting and Finances, Anger Management, Stress Management, Relationship Building, Networking, and the Presentation Program. The youth give a final presentation of their dream life and monetary awards are given away for the following: Best Character Award, Best Dream Board Award, Best Written Dream, Plan and Achieve Award.

Student Ambassador Board Program:

The DBAY Student Ambassador Program began in 2005. The purpose of the DBAY Student Ambassador Program is to enhance the communication and organization skills of our youth, foster a sense of pride and unity in our community, and broaden their educational experiences by organizing volunteer opportunities that expose them to different cultural, business and social activities. Up to 25 students, who are between the ages of 13 and 19 and who exhibit good character, are nominated by other Student Ambassadors and people in their community, to serve as ambassadors to the City for a 2 year term. The youth engage in monthly community service activities like volunteering to help with the Yellow Jazzmin Festival in North Augusta, volunteering at Arts in the Heart, and reading in the Frederick Douglass Mobile Reading Room.

DBAY organizes a yearly SAT/ACT practice test for the Student Ambassadors. We try to take trips like the Journey To Justice Tour given at the State Bar of Georgia in Atlanta and college tours. Our goal is to bring students from different socioeconomic, racial, and educational backgrounds together to do good things in the community. Our focus in this program is to provide the youth with opportunities to build their confidence, build their character, and build their communities. We need committed volunteers for this program. The parents must be committed to bringing their youth to the monthly meetings and the organized events.

Frederick Douglass Mobile Reading Room

The Frederick Douglass Mobile Reading Room is designed to instill in our youth a passion for reading at a young age. DBAY began this program in 2010 when we heard a person say that the government was forecasting how many prisons to build by the reading level of children in the third grade. We accept kids between the ages of 3 and 13. Our motto for success in this program is “I READ TO SUCCEED!” The program is designed to be conducted in low income areas where the youth need programs and positive things to do with their time. Our goal is to have enough volunteers for each child to have his/her own individual reader. The youth read to the volunteer and the volunteer reads to them. We teach our youth the 3L’s of success- LOOK, LISTEN, and LEARN. Look at who is talking, listen to who is talking, and learn from who is talking. We are also focused on exposing the children to healthy food choices. We provide a meal and fresh fruit at each session. At the end of each program, DBAY takes the youth on a field trip.

“It is easier to build strong children
than to repair broken men” ~ Author Frederick Douglas

Judge John H. “Jack” Ruffin, Jr. Trailblazer Scholarship Essay Award:

The dictionary defines “trailblazer” as a person who blazes a trail for others to follow through unsettled country or wilderness; a pathfinder. Many times our youth are only exposed to unknown people in the media as examples of success, when there are ordinary people, in their own community who have managed to succeed at doing extraordinary things despite many obstacles. DBAY began the Judge John H. Ruffin, Jr. “Trailblazer” Scholarship Essay Contest for graduating seniors in the CSRA during the dedication of the John H. “Jack” Ruffin, Jr. Courthouse in Augusta, Georgia, located at 735 James Brown Boulevard in 2011. Judge Ruffin was a trailblazer as one of the first African American attorneys in Augusta to break down legal barriers and racial barriers to success. He was the first African American to become a member of the Augusta Bar Association. He was the first African American to become a Superior Court Judge in Augusta. He was the first African American to become the Chief Judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals. He did this by recognizing that unity, justice, and peace in the community are ideals worth fighting for. This yearly essay contest will try to get our youth from all socioeconomic and racial backgrounds to learn about trailblazers in our community and the world in an effort to motivate them to blaze their own trails to success.